What Makes No Difference Is No Difference: (WMNDIND 22)
-0-Jasper, again
They walked through the bridge, big mechs with immense coiled power trailed by the copper-bronze color of a protoform newly arrived from space. As they walked in, the group already there watched with interest as the new bot absorbed the file each was downloaded by Ratchet, then transcanned himself into a cross between a muscle car and a high end police cruiser. That he bore the colors of the police car completed the look. He turned to Optimus. "Sir, you're looking well."
"It is good to see you, too, Prowl. We have a situation that I believe requires consultation face to face. What do you make of the markings on that wall?" Prime asked as everyone turned to face the etchings.
"I'm fluent in reading Primal Vernacular as you might remember," he said in a rich tenor voice. He stared at the writings, reading them and what was obviously a planetary drawing. "I see why you called me to come." He turned to Prime. "We have a very dangerous situation here, sir."
"We have to recover them before Megatron and Shockwave find them first," Prime said.
"Shockwave," Prowl said with surprise. "I take it that he's not on Cybertron any longer."
"No," Prime said. "There is a planet in the debris field of this system that is disguised from scrutiny by the local alien species called humans by its distance and orbit. Its orbital path is calculated to take 20,000 years to travel around the system's star so it is an unknown entity beyond speculation that it's four times bigger than this planet, dark, cold and rocky."
"Then you believe that Shockwave is there, perhaps dug in," Prowl said.
"Yes, I do," Prime said. "Megatron is building a permanent fortress on the next planet from here, the fourth one you passed coming in. He has Starscream and Soundwave with him."
Prowl nodded. "That's very bad news. I was under the impression that Starscream died trying to move Cybertron by igniting its rocket thrusters."
"WOW! HE DID!? THAT CRAZY IDIOT!? *YOUR PLANET CAN FLY!?*"
Everyone turned to the mezzanine where a number of small aliens stood. They stared at the new bot, then one of them, a small female-type individual ran down the steps and directly toward where they stood. Halting, she looked up with a big smile. "I'm Miko. I'm Bulk's partner. Are you really a cop car? Do you arrest criminals? Can I see your handcuffs? How about letting loose your siren?"
For a moment Prowl stared at her with surprise, then glanced at Prime who actually had a small grin on his face. "Uh, sir?" he asked.
"This is Miko, that is Jack and the other young man is Raf. They are indigenous life forms common to this planet and some of the few who know we are here," Prime replied. "Come with me, Prowl. I need to discuss this and other things with you." Prime began to walk toward the inner sanctum and with a backward glance Prowl followed. They left the room together.
Miko turned to the other bots. "What's his story?" she asked expectantly.
Everyone immediately had something else to do. As they all disappeared without a sound, she turned to Ratchet as Ironhide left to follow Prime and Prowl. "What did I say?" she asked.
Ratchet was too busy rolling his optics to answer.
-0-In a science lab at a college near Fresno, California
They sat together around a computer looking for anomalies that might explain what they'd seen. There was a fountain of light that swallowed up gigantic metallic looking beings of which one was the most alien. He was tall, had wings and was brownish colored. They watched that one unwind from a ball, then walk to the others with one who'd peered into the crater he'd made. After a moment of strange sounding conversation they all hurried into the fiery light to disappear. It winked out leaving the three of them blinking at the brightness.
They'd explored the crash site of the object, noting that it had bounced three times before plowing a furrow that was the length of a football field. Nothing they could think of could otherwise explain what they ascertained was an alien landing. Other aliens had picked this one up and they disappeared into some kind of travel funnel made of energy.
"This blows me away," Shane Brown said as he looked at the other two. "We can't tell anyone. This is our mystery to figure out. No one would believe us anyway."
"Then we go there and scope it out with instruments. Geiger counters and good cameras. We take soil samples and go at this scientifically," Toby Simpson, a forensics law enforcement major said. "Forensics the shit out of this, then figure it out."
"What if this is some kind of landing place and they see us somehow," Marc Anderson said. He was a biology major and the least bold of the trio.
"Then we make first contact," Shane said. He himself was a physics major and all of them had come from the same town, took as many courses together as they could and shared a small apartment off campus. This was the biggest, most surprising and awesome thing they ever experienced so they were hot to trot, some more so than others.
They bent together over the images gathered in their search and among them was a kid riding a great motorcycle in a desert area near a town called Jasper, Nevada.
-0-In a small room off the main corridor, the door slightly a jar
They sat together, their helms nearly touching. There had been a bit of conversation but there wasn't any now. Prime and Prowl sat across from each other, their servos touching. One of Prime's lay on the table with Prowl's lightly touching it, his fingers gently stroking Prime's. They didn't say anything because nothing needed to be said.
Miko paused by the door, then pressed back against the doorjamb. She stared upward at the huge bots, both of them seemingly oblivious to her presence. She moved back farther to watch.
There were many ways for Cybertronians to show affection. They were a mech dominated race with the number of female versions of themselves so rare that many lived their lives over eons without seeing one outside of entertainment, advertising and the odd image from the old days. Some forms were fleet and others heavily involving. From a knowing glance to intense physical interaction, they had many ways of involving themselves intimately together.
Some of them didn't involve privacy. Like right now.
They were physically present but their spirits, their sparks were elsewhere. They were mingling in a way that was intensely satisfying that didn't require more than a touch and agreement between them to make the moment happen. The mere placement of Prowl's servo on Prime's in the manner that he had affected created a link between them that was incredibly intense.
Miko watched the expression on Optimus's face. His optics were shuttered and the intensity of his expression unlike any she had seen before on the big tightly controlled mech. He almost expressed something akin to a blissful happiness. Prowl was the same way as he gently stroked Prime's servo with his thumb digit. Their helms touched, their cheeks rubbed, then their foreheads touched again. Prowl's AMAZING red chevron was pulsing with color. It was so silent Miko could hear her own heartbeat, then it was over. Prowl sat back with a slight grin as Prime sat back himself.
She shrank back as she watched them, unsettled by the strangeness of the sight before her. Prime had almost no emotions beyond kindness, infinite decency and patience. He wasn't really very demonstrative over all. Getting a smile from him was major. She was told Primes were often like that but she knew he was deeper than that. This, however, was different and she didn't know what it meant.
What she had seen was the Cybertronian version of a hug. It was a welcome gesture among those who were intimate, related or bonded. It was more than a hug and kiss. It was a way to ascertain the well being of someone you loved. In the process of such an action, one determined how the other was and what had happened to them if they were apart. It was also a gesture that was a common sight among the Cybertronians wherever they were even if the humans had never seen it among the bots here.
:I missed you:
:I missed you, Prowl:
:Did you see the indigenous life form?:
:I did. Miko is a good little femme. I would not give it too much worry:
Prowl nodded, then looked at the door.
Miko tensed, then ran like the wind.
Prowl grinned slightly. "That is a strange little femme."
"She does not have fear. That part is worrisome but she is trustworthy above all things," Prime said sitting back contentedly. Having established things with Prowl had taken a lot of his accumulated agonies away for a bit. But then, that is what Prowl had in mind when he placed his servo over Prime's.
"We have a lot to exchange before I go," Prowl said.
"I will hate to see you go," Prime said.
"I will hate to go," Prowl said softly. He placed his servo on Prime's, gently stroking his fingers. They bent their helms together a moment, then sat back to talk about what they had to do as the leaders of their faction.
-0-In the concourse
"Ratchet?"
"What, Miko?"
"What does it mean when you mechs hold hands?"
Ratchet glanced at Miko with a start, then considered her. "What do you mean?"
"I just saw Optimus and Prowl holding hands. They looked like it was … something really good," Miko asked with her direct stare that gave him the Cybertronian version of the willies.
"Uh … its a way to say hello. You do remember that we're aliens don't you?" Ratchet asked.
"I do," she replied. "I just want to know all your stuff. I think you're awesome."
Ratchet stared at her a moment parsing which direction her comment was intended to go, then grinned slightly. "We are, aren't we."
-0-Later
"I want to know what it means, Bulk. You know me. I want to learn all of it so when we go home to Cybertron again I can live there and know what to do."
Bulkhead stared down at Miko who he adored as she just informed him that she was both Cybertronian and homesick for the old world. He grinned slightly. "If your parents know how over the top you've gotten to be they'd come for you."
"I wouldn't go. How can I go back to Japan when my heart is on Cybertron?" she replied with a grin. "You haven't told me what they were doing."
Bulkhead considered all the options, then decided to tell the truth. "They were greeting each other. When you're good friends or close to someone, you can do that. Its more than a hug. It's personal and nice."
"How about you and me, Bulk?" she asked holding out her hand palm down. "Hook me up."
Bulkhead snickered, then put a digit against her tiny hand. Nothing happened though both closed their optics. After a moment she opened hers, then looked at her hand. "Nothing happened."
"You're not Cybertronian, Miko. I know that's hard to remember but you're human," Bulk said with a grin.
She looked at him, then her hand. "That's alright, Bulkhead. I'll always be your girl."
Bulkhead grinned. "That's my girl," he said with a chuckle.
-0-TBC 3-19-16 edited 4-1-16 01-24-2021
NOTES: I am going to explore the idea of the bots being aliens with a lot of alien potential. That includes different forms and levels of intimacy. :D:D:D
